LABOUR are preparing to force a confidence vote on Boris Johnson’s government, challenging Conservative MPs to oust the Prime Minister as they hold a leadership contest.
The opposition will table the motion on Tuesday, with the aim of holding the vote the following day, according to party sources.
Johnson said he would resign as Conservative leader after a long line of scandals but is clinging on to office as caretaker prime minister until a replacement is found in a move that has divided Tory MPs.
Labour’s bid would force Johnson’s colleagues to either back the Government or vote against it.
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Tory MPs will be wary that opposing the Government could trigger a General Election at a time they are selecting a new leader, and risk losing the large Commons majority Johnson won in 2019.
Authority rapidly drained away from Johnson last week as Cabinet ministers and junior colleagues resigned from government and Tory MPs publicly called for his resignation.
The confidence vote, which would require a simple majority to pass, will put on record where leadership contenders and their colleagues in the Commons stand on Johnson staying in office over the next two months.
But now the Conservative Party has set out its timetable for a replacement to be announced on September 5, the clamour for Johnson’s immediate exit has been dampened.
That the motion is in Labour’s name makes Tory support even less likely.
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Keir Starmer, the leader of the Labour Party, said: "The Tory party has at last concluded that the Prime Minister is unfit for office, that was blindingly obvious a very, very long time ago.
"He is leaving because his own party has concluded that he can’t be trusted.
“They can’t now let him cling on for weeks, and weeks, and weeks until September 5.
"It would be intolerable for the country."
He went on: "We have put down a vote of no confidence, and challenged any Tory MP who in the last few days has said: 'I can’t serve Boris Johnson because you can’t trust a word the man says.' 'I can’t go on the media because the lines he gives us always unravel.'
"Can they really vote to say he should stay in power for another few weeks? We’re challenging them to put their constituents first, and put the country first."
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